Rise of a New God
by Novaclysm
Summary: A brother just wished to live a peaceful life with his family and friends. But nothing ever goes according to plan, do they? Fate Stay Night/Highschool DXD/Greek mythology crossovers.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

March 14, 2087

" _Mou….onii-sama… must you be so dutiful? Can't you lay back for once? You've been standing there for at least an hour…"she reproached, head lowered, eyes gazing upon the bright sand. "I'm beginning to feel lonely here…" Her feet dug gently into the sand and her cheeks were puffed. Obvious signs of nervousness. She's always afraid of hurting him, like_ they _did. Tatsuya couldn't help let out a little smile._

 _He reached out for Miyuki's head, patting her affectionately as many would to a younger sibling. His hand continued trailing downward, weaving his fingers in between her hair, before cupping her cheeks. He wanted to reassure her that she wasn't doing anything wrong, that she was only speaking up for his best interests.  
"It's alright, Miyuki. There's nothing more that I want to than to watch you having fun. But if you really want to, I can join you for a bit".  
The effect was immediate. Her azure eyes lit up more than any star in the night sky could. Eyes so much like his own.  
"Well …come on, then! What are you waiting for? The water's not going to get any warmer!" She dragged Tatsuya off from his seat on the polished stone that kept the sidewalk from the beach sand, and Tatsuya easily obliged. _

_He let out a strong yet restrained laugh. Oh, how much he wished could do this every day. Doing nothing but splash around in the gentle waves with Miyuki, watching her jump in innocent joy and laugh and scream without any care if anyone around. Not that there was anyone around, though. His mother wanted nothing but the finest- it would not do for her son and her sister Miya's daughter to have to share a space with strangers – strangers that might have motives against her clan. A clan which she rebuilt so perfectly under her rule, it would frustrate her to no end if Tatsuya or Miyuki, the future of the clan, to end up in an incident. He appreciated mother for that, but it made them feel lonesome. They were their own little world. It felt like there was nothing else, no one else, in the world. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tatsuya reminded himself they were cousins, but they had always been siblings… if not closer, if the time they spend together was any indication._

 _xxx_

August 4, 2092

 _His heart stopped for a moment when he heard that scream. A familiar, shrill scream. He ditched his post at the entrance of the military facility and raced to the sick bay, where all the civilians and non-military magicians gathered when the alarm sounded – which signalled an attack. It was there he stared in shock. Five armed men, armed with semi-automatics approaching the band of frightened individuals. A band which included his Miyuki, along with her mother Miya and her mother's guardian Honami. His eyes darkened, seething. He could see the red stains growing on Miyuki's chest, likely right next to the heart. Miya's – the side of her stomach. Honami's – her left shoulder, probably trying to shield Miyuki and her charge from harm.  
'THEY DARED TO TOUCH THEM?!'_

 _Without a moment's hesitation, he launched himself towards the armed men. Walking dead. They would be gone from this world before they even noticed. Faster than a normal eye could see, Tatsuya removed his gun from its holster at his left hip with his right hand, and aimed his Silver Taurus at the first and closest armed attacker, pulling the trigger. There was no bullet, but the man instantly disintegrated. He vanished without a trace. Yet he held no remorse. His military training in the_ 101 Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion _taught him as such, and it paid dividend right now. Tatsuya turned to the second and third attackers, still seeing red. He pulled the trigger in rapid succession. They suffered the same fate the first had. Shock had only just come onto their faces before they vanished into an explosion of light particles  
'Good.' Tatsuya thought. 'They don't deserve any mercy. Not after what they had done. But not enough.'  
He holstered his gun and unsheathed his katana - absurdly long for an eight year old like him – but he managed. Feet finally coming to a stop, he pivoted before racing towards the fourth and fifth attacker to his right, fear appearing on their faces, firing undistinguished attacks at their adversary with the remaining bullets in their semi-automatics.  
'Useless. Cowards. Attacking innocent people.' Tatsuya blanched._

 _He swung his katana diagonally upwards from the man's left hip to his right soldier, blood exploding from the point of contact. Before Tatsuya stopped, he carried the momentum from his swing and spun in a half circle slashing the final attacker's right arm, severing the arm which held his gun, at the wrist. He did the same with the other arm. This last one would not bleed out – not that he would let him. He would use Regrowth on him, just enough for him not to bleed out. He did not deserve any reprieve from the pain he so rightfully earned._

 _But that was a thought for later. He ran over to his family, panic finally settling in after the anger and adrenaline wisped away. They were knocked unconscious after the shock and the pain. He immediately laid his hands upon each of their wounds, casting Regrowth on them. He resisted the urge to gasp at the pain that set in him. That was the trade-off with using such an overpowered spell. One would be able to restore the health of themselves or others, as long as it was within the last day. The one who casted must endure the pain that the one casted upon experienced – Newton's Law of Conservation of Energy WAS universal, after all._

 _Gradually, the wounds disappeared, and the three females regained consciousness. They looked tired, but clear of any obvious wounds. Good. Tatsuya said nothing as he sighed in relief._

 _"Tatsuya?" Miya whispered, like it would disturb the false silence that settled on the land after a battle. She appeared to speak for both Honami and Miyuki, as they both seemed shell-shocked at what happened, especially the two bodies lying on the ground, drowning in their own blood.  
"There is nothing to be worried about. I have taken care of the problem. Rest, you three. I will make sure no more harm befalls any of you." Tatsuya declared, a hard gaze that didn't fit with his young face. He rubbed his hand up and down to aid in consoling Miyuki, who was tearing up considerably._

 _"..Onii-sama! I'm so sorry! I was.. I was… too weak to protect mother! I.. I am not strong enough… I don't deserve your l-" Miyuki blurted out, stuggling to stop herself from sobbing after each word, but was interrupted by Tatsuya's arm reaching behind her. He pulled her into an embrace against his chest, holding her tight like she might disappear. His left hand stroked the back of her head. She almost did disappear, Tatsuya remind himself._

 _"Shh… Miyuki. It's alright. I'm here now. Tatsuya's here. I will protect you." Tatsuya consoled, rubbing circles around her back. The only reply Miyuki had was her muffle cries against his chest, wrapping her small arms tighter around him.  
That was when he lost her the first time. He vowed never to leave her again._

 _xxx_

 _He took aim, using the specially-crafted sniper rifle that calibrated with his Third Eye._ _The 'eye' of Shiva which emits flames and burns things to ashes. It is believed that when the Lord is extremely angry, He opens His third eye and punishes the culprit._ _Today, the culprits were out at sea. Eleven battleships strong, carrying likely hundreds of magic-equipped soldiers, ready to race ashore to the beach he enjoyed what felt like an eternity ago. Nothing mattered now. Nothing mattered except taking revenge for his family. Mother Maya could not be here to obliterate them as she was at the Head House, likely dealing with the Japanese government. So it fell to him, her son.  
Without so much as a word, he fired, scope focused in on a single droplet of water suspended above the flagship at the centre of the formation.  
Material Burst was an ability Tatsuya had. An ability that was testament to Einstein's famous formula of energy-matter conversion. The one ability that would later define him as a Strategic-Type Magician, a magician that could wipe out countries alone. The raindrop imploded, becoming pure energy radiating outwards in a sphere.  
That day, it was like a star was born in the East China Sea.  
That day, a second God of Destruction was born.  
_

_xxx_

 _December 4, 2094_

After Miyuki's mother had passed away a month, the two had grown distant. Miyuki no longer talked to her father Tatsurou – not when he came home not a week later holding a woman that could not be more of a polar opposite to Miya. Sayuri was careless and arrogant, unlike Miya's grace and calculative glances. She even had the gall to flaunt her status as a lover of Tatsurou before Miya's passing, while she was on her deathbed.

Tatsuya had offered to use the power their clan had been bestowed by the devils – the Evil Pieces. Created by Ajuka Beelzebub, inspired by chess, had created a special system that allowed one of sufficient devil power – be it magic or strength – to reincarnate other races. It's drawback was that it restricted the reincarnation processes to beings that were still alive (their heart continues to beat), and that the King, one who initiates the reincarnation, must be stronger than the target, in order to avoid an usurp of power from the King in the future. _  
When Tatsuya held his Mutated Bishop piece, Miya had woefully declined, saying that Tatsuya would have no purpose for a cripple, one who could barely run.  
When Tatsuya asked her how Miyuki would feel about this, all she did was smile and whisper "She has you, Tatsuya. You have protected her well as a Guardian…no.. As a cousin, a sibling, sometimes …even a parent, considering who Tatsurou is like. You have done a world of good for her. Promise me… that you will take care of her. If not for your sake or hers… at least do it for mine. You would do that, wouldn't you?"  
"Yes."  
"Then that is all I ask. But these Pieces…we will have to re-appear into the supernatural world eventually. Even if we do not want to, even if we hide, the supernatural world will find us. Your mother has told you of the Civil War between the devils of the Old Maou Faction, once the faction we called our own, and the Anti-Maou Faction, yes?  
Tatsuya did not speak, only nodding.  
"We were once the proudest clan of devils there were, answering only to the Original Satan Lucifer. He was a devil driven by all seven of the deadly sins, but his wrath was the strongest. We were the embodiment of that sin. We struck hard at every turn, controlling battlefields with single waves of our magic. Genzou-jiisan could tell you how one of the driest lands of the Underworld suddenly became the _coldest _lands when one of us, the Yotsuba clan, had fought and wiped out a battalion of Anti-Maou devils. Once we marched on the Underworld capital Lillith, we had a choice: to face the four upcoming Maou-class devils – Serafall Sitri, Sirzechs Gremory, Ajuka Astaroth and_ _Falbium Glasya-Labolas, or call a truce._  
 _Before Lucifer-dono had died in his valiant crusade in Heaven, he asked us to ensure the survival of the devils as our first priority, no matter what. So, with bloodied hands and unwavering grudges, we made a deal. We would not attack them – as they knew we were powerful enough to bring them to a stalemate, but not without heavy casualties – in exchange for a part in the new society, including their new technology in the Evil Pieces." Miya had to take a break, her voice getting weaker by the minute. She seemed like she wanted to say something more, but Tatsuya knew._

 _"The Evil Pieces… you want me to use them as protection. A group able to protect Miyuki and I from the rest of the supernatural world we so yearn to escape from? So much so we established ourselves, along with the rest of Lucifer-dono's direct subordinating clans, as the Ten Master Clans here in Japan?"  
Miya smiled. She always knew Tatsuya would know one step ahead. It was what made him one of the most dangerous people in the world – as a sixteen year old. With only Miyuki standing beside him in terms of magical power this generation, he also knew he would start attracting higher powers to him as he aged (a natural thing for pureblood devils), even when he kept his devilish traits suppressed from birth.  
"I understand, Miya-sama. I shall try my best for you, for Mother, and especially for Miyuki."  
"Mmm…come closer." Miya murmured. She was fading fast.  
Tatsuya took a deep breath, before stepping closer towards Miya, his hand upon her shoulder. He knew what was to come.  
Miya had done this long ago, once to Tatsuya and once before that, regretfully in retrospect, to Maya. Her Mental Manipulation magic allowed the alteration of specific functions of the brain, with its limits only to the caster's imagination. It was their clan's unique magic, and in Miya's short yet eventful life, she had been the first to master it.  
She held her left hand up, like reaching for the sky, towards Tatsuya's temple, whom had his head bowed down (in respect or to give her easier access, or both, Miya didn't know). What she was doing now was possibly one of the most insane things one could think of, but neither had anything to lose. Tatsuya had already lost his ability to feel emotions, and Miya was moments away from her body shutting down as a result of her weakened heart. She pressed her index and middle finger at his temple. When she felt Tatsuya hold her freezing hand in place, she closed her eyes, casting her magic one last time, and just…let her body go.  
What came next could not be described as a piercing headache, nor an alien intrusion. It felt warm, familiar. It was like comparing two fingers on a hand – not entirely the same, yet not different to their own. It seems Miya's final Mental Manipulation was her greatest. He felt more aware of the gentle breezes outside, the pervading smell of rain that had begun to fall, and the storm that had begun to settle into the Okinawa coast. She had successfully been able to transfer her memories, of her own experience, her magical powers, and her Mental Manipulation ability. He promised not to show this power unless dire circumstances were evident. Not only out of respect for Miya, but wary at the suspicion it may draw upon to any inflicted by mental manipulation.  
He did not stand up, but looked out the seaside window, content with watching the dark storm clouds rolling in. Tatsuya had yet to notice the green glow flashing out of his shoulder blades._

 _August 4, 2095_ _  
_Tatsuya, in all his emotionless glory, was anxious. He had lost sight of Miyuki, when he left the beach in order to find refuge from prying eyes and ears. It was apparently important, as Major Sanada had been informing him of the once more growing threat of the Great Asian Alliance – a union made up of territories consisting of modern day China, Dahan, the Korean peninsula, the north of Burma, Vietnam, and Laos. Together with the USNA, the Soviet Union and the Indo-Persian Federation, they formed the Four Great Powers of the world post-World War III. It had been nine years since Miyuki became his charge, and there was only once – three years ago - that Tatsuya had mistakenly let out of his sight – and the ones responsible were exactly who the Major had called him up on. He had messed up again. He should not have brought Miyuki to the party Mayumi organised at the beach after we had won the Nine Magic Schools Competition. He promised Miya-sama that he would protect her.  
In a burst of his Elemental Sight, a "scanning ability" that lets him observe the world around him by monitoring the interactions of particles around people and objects, he attemped to find Miyuki. When he did though, he found two forms – one a familiar form, Miyuki, with the particles gently coating her, lying on the ground, and a second, unknown form, that stood over her. The pushions were whizzing around the unknown form like crazy, and that wasn't a good sign. If anything, that was a sign of a supernatural figure. Natural particles would not react so violently in presence of regular humans. Gritting his teeth, he headed off. Miya was right.  
 _  
_


	2. Chapter 2: Burning Drive, New Battles

**Welcome to the first (official) chapter of my my first (ever!) fanfiction! I'm still trying to find a writing style that I like, so don't be afraid to give me some pointers :P  
The prologue was there to sorta give tidbits of information about Tatsuya and Miyuki, as I'm sure not all of you have watched/read Mahouka before.  
But it was great to see such a turnout to my introduction to the fanfic world! Thanks to you all.  
And as per the description, this is a double crossover, so I'm trying to establish bits and pieces to do with all 3 stories. Now I know each of the timelines are in vastly different years, but just roll with it. First stop, Fate/ Stay Night!  
**

Apollo

I was charmed. I had never seen such a flawless beauty before, even with the innumerable amount of women I have desired and… taken. There has been no place on Earth I have not slept in. In all my years riding up on my Sun chariot, up high in the sky, I have spent countless hours gazing upon the Earth, watching as the humans scurrying around in the daily rush to work and school. Maybe it was the waist-length black hair, or that lithe stature, or even those deep eyes that reminded me of when I went to watch the waves each summer solstice with mother and Artemis. This girl seemed like perfection.  
In a flash of energy, I teleported myself down to Earth, right behind the young beauty. She didn't seem to notice me. I walked up at roughly grabbed her shoulder, frightening her.  
"Hello, Miss! May I inquire as to what this beauty's name is?" I grinned.  
The only response I received was the girl stepping backwards.  
"Hmm? What's this? Someone not affected by my godly charms? Well.. not like I need them with my godly looks. Hehe." I stepped closer to her, but she started to panick.  
"Wh-Who.. are you?" she backpedalled. She tried to move faster, as if ready to run, but fell backwards onto her rear, tripping over a loose stone. She's a feisty one. And you know what they say about feisty ones.  
I snickered. "Who am I? Oh, my dear. I'm going to have to teach to so many things. But first, you'll be coming with me."  
I grabbed onto her arm and yanked her like I would to the string on my bow.  
"N-NO! LET GO OF ME!" she yelled in distress, trying to pull her arm free.  
"No can do, Missy. You're gonna be with me for tonight. Name's Apollo. Familiar, my dear?" I snorted arrogantly.  
"I don't care! Let go of me!" She continued to thrash about, throwing her limbs in wild abandon in order to get away from him. I don't know if she truly didn't know or care, or if she was in the moment, but I felt really insulted right there.  
"Don't care? Oh, deary me. I'm going to have to teach you some manners, my dear. It seems clear your mother was incapable of doing so."  
That was when I knew he had triggered her. Her eyes widened not in shock, but in anger. She was able to wrench her arm free right at that moment and outstretched her arm before screaming something out.  
 **"Nifleheim!".** There was ice all around us. Huh. Looks like she was a mage. Too bad she tried using it against me, a god. And a sun god at that.  
"Is that all you've got?" I replied, unamused.  
She looked visibly terrified. She must have been thinking 'What kind of person was he?'  
Nevertheless, I continued approaching her, making sure to melt the ice that had settled on the ground around us  
"I've been very patient with you missy, but you've really overstepped your bounds now. I like my women obedient, but you're clearly going to be too much to handle. But if I can't have you, no one can. You should be grateful I even came here to see you, you little wench." I sneered.  
As if she felt what was coming next, her eyes widened and she tried scrambling to run away. But it was too late  
 **"AAAAHHHHH!"** Her screaming was all I heard before I felt something hit me. 

xxx 

" **AAAAHHHHH!"  
** When I finally got to her, I could not form words. Perhaps I lost my sense of reason when I saw her like that, on the ground screaming. Her scream frightened me. A tall, tanned man with fiery orange hair, wearing nothing but a white chiton, had set Miyuki alight. She was screaming in infuriating pain, like her soul was being burned.  
" **MIYUKI!"** 'NO! NOT AGAIN!'

Haphazardly I tried casting Air Bullet at the unknown man from my Silver Horn. I had learned it from my fight with Ichijou Masaki, but with the memory of Miya-dono. While I would have been happy to see what it had done to him, that was not my aim. If I had looked, I may have seen the air mysteriously whirling around it.

I used the chance while he was occupied to approach Miyuki, who was still screaming in agony.  
"Hold on, Miyuki!" I said, not sure on how to help her.  
I tried to cast Regrowth on her, but it failed. I tried recasting it over and over, but it kept failing. It was like the flames cast on her were nullifying my healing magic.  
Clenching my teeth, I tried to keep my tears from bursting out all at once. I had lost her once already. I will not lose her again. But was it really worth bringing Miyuki unwillingly into the world?  
 _'No. She has already been brought into the supernatural world unwillingly. Noone but a god could cause what I saw when I used my Elemental Sight. Not to mention, these flames are not normal'  
_ I summoned his Queen Piece and cast my magic into it, bathing the Evil Piece in a radiant blue glow before quickly holding it towards Miyuki's chest.  
I had no time to properly assimilate the Evil Piece into her through an aria. He only hoped it would work.  
When I tried to find the culprit, there was no trace of him. Only a shower of energy showing that anyone was around at all.

'Coward. I'm going to kill whoever did this.'  
I tried to cast Regrowth again, and thankfully this time it worked. Good. It seemed that introducing new magical particles into Miyuki granted her some sort of extra resistance against the fire. I watched as the heat of the flames dimmed down to a wisp of a flame before dying out. My Regrowth had worked, and Miyuki's physical body seemed to be perfectly fine, but she had yet to regain consciousness.  
He held a hand in Miyuki's tender own; he clenched his fist with the other.  
Supernatural forces were already gathering. It was time for him to step up.

xxx 

Welcomed back into the secure embrace of his own golden palace upon Olympus, he finally took a breath he did not realise he had been holding since that boy fired a bullet from his gun. He had never seen such a face of anger before. And what the _hell_ was that bullet? At first it seemed like it wasn't very threatening, then it just… _appeared_ in front of him. And damn, did it hurt.

'The stupid bullet blew a _fucking hole_ in my side. On second thought, maybe she wasn't worth so much if it cost him an explosive bullet to the waist.'

"What did you do this time, Apollo? Try to fight with a shark? 'Cause that looks like shark bit into your side" a familiar voice chided.  
"Artemis. How lovely to see my twin sister mocking me. And no. It was not a shark. I know enough to stay away from Uncle Poseidon's waters when we are without permission." I replied in a snarky manner.  
"Then was it a monster? Or.. don't tell me. Some human?"  
"How the hell was I supposed to know that humans could _fucking blow half my stomach away_ with a _stupid bullet_?!"  
"You should know better than this, Apollo. Angering a clan of human magicians, if that… hole in your side is any sign, is not a great idea, in your stupid "conquest""  
"Shut up, sister. I could easily deal with them" Apollo replied, feigning confidence. All Apollo heard was a snort before a clicking of heels  
Apollo felt a shiver go down his spine. "Don't come back home crying when you've been blasted to Hades" Artemis warned.

xxx

"How is she, Mother?"

"She's in a stable condition for now. Her physical wounds are negligible thanks to your rapid response, but the scans show abnormally low brain activity. She's in a coma, dear."

"This is the second time that Miyuki has been hurt. Because of my failure in my responsibility to guard her, she has been hurt again. And I have no excuse."

Maya reached out from her lavish seat (as Head of the Yotsuba clan), curling her fingers delicately around Tatsuya's face from under his chin.

"Tatsuya, my son. You have done nothing wrong. While I do not appreciate you talking to that pesky Major, you were only doing your job. You turned around for a second and it happened at the most unfortunate time."

"Hell of an unfortunate time it was." he shot back

"Tatsuya." Maya called. He looked towards the ground.

"Tell me. Who did this to her?"

"Orange hair. Tan skin. Reminds me of fire. Had my Elemental Sight go haywire at the excessive levels of particles."

"Apollo."

"Huh?" Tatsuya asked, confused.

"You know the Greek pantheon?"

"So you're telling me that Apollo had her eyes on Miyuki."

"Yes. It seems that the supernatural world is finally finding its way back to us."

"Bastard. I saw him trying to abduct her out in his arrogance and disgusting perversity"

"That sounds like a Greek god alright. It runs in the family" Maya pointed out. It was true. Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, even Kronos, had "unstable" libidos, if the stories of Greek Mythology were of any accuracy…

"I need to be better, mother. But I don't know how." Tatsuya lamented. He didn't need more power. He already had Miya with him. His own magic already made him a Strategic-Class magician, a magician able to wipe out small countries alone. Yet he still couldn't protect Miyuki. He was a failure.

"I know what you're thinking, my son. What you need is not more power, but more experience. This was but your first interaction with anything outside regular humans dear. Not even experienced magicians. But I have an idea on how to help you with that" Maya lectured. She had _that_ sinister smile on her face, like when she had the crazy idea to go and take down an _entire god damn country_.

"What are you suggesting, mother?" Tatsuya asked worriedly. He knew about his mother's idea of training. He could still remember the pain all his limbs felt when he had finished sparring with Yakumo-sensei. He _only_ had to spar forabout 2 hours straight, at the behest and supervision of mother. Even Yakumo was complaining about his muscles starting to ache. But he knew mother meant good for him, even if he felt like falling over flat after what she deemed as 'training'.

"There's a special occasion that occurs in Japan – more specifically, the town of Fuyuki. The Fuyuki Grail War." she explained, with humoured glint in her eyes.

The _Fuyuki Grail War_. One of the most mysterious events that have occurred in Japan. It is kept under tabs by almost every magical association, especially the Ten Master Clans and the Mage's Association, but still little is known about the Grail War. The basics were known – it was created by the combination of efforts of the three magus families in the Einzberns, the Tohsakas and the Matous, and had created the Holy Grail as a "reward" to the winner of said war – between 7 Masters, almost always magi, and 7 servants. Apparently it was said there had been four grail wars in the past two centuries, yet no participants had emerged victorious. Had something gone wrong?

Nevertheless, the Holy Grail was a hallmark of Ancient Magic. Said to be an omnipotent, wish granting device, the three families aimed to use it to reach the Root – the Third Magic, in the Einzbern's case.

"So… you want me to participate in the next Grail War?"

"Indeed. It will be a good way for you to… experience the supernatural within a safe manner. It's not like a bunch of Ancient Magic practitioners will be able to harm you anyways, right, my son?"

While Mother was not wrong, she was not right either – maybe it was just her confidence in me, which was reassuring. Modern magic was often hailed to be greater than Ancient Magic. While Modern Magic overcame all the problems with Ancient Magic – namely long cast times (such as big summoning rituals using arias), and was not as specialised in one element or the like, Modern Magic was much less powerful than Ancient Magic. An Air Bullet, one such example of modern magic, would explode and leave behind a small crater. If it were to be a product of ancient magic, while it would take several seconds to fire, it would have a much wider area of effect – it could blow a house to bits, as well as be able to contain a variety of elements and withstand modification. **(A/N: Think of Kiritsugu's Origin Bullet)**

"I see. I presume you will have someone watch over Miyuki while I'm gone. I shall go, prepare my equipment, mother" he responded, before bowing and leaving the room. As Tatsuya closed the door, the room was bathed in darkness once more. Maya did love the darkness after all. She wasn't the Queen of Night – the Demon of the East for nothing.

"What do you think, my dear friend?" Maya asked, seemingly talking to no one.  
"He will make a fine heir, Maya. He has a drive, particularly to protect your niece. And maybe in time, will find a place in the world where he fits" a mature, feminine voice replied.  
"We'll see sooner, rather than later" Maya giggled. "After all, our deal was for you to join him once he is ready. It will be good for you to get to know him. God knows you need a man in your life"  
"Oh, shut up. It's not like I've had enough time on my hands, what with running around dealing with foreign spies", the woman replied. "Maybe I will take a liking to him. Only time will tell"  
"Mmm.. go and watch my dear niece, will you? I promised my son that I would keep her safe while he was gone"  
"Of course" Was all she said.

xxx

By the time Tatsuya had arrived at Fuyuki, the sun had already set long ago. Gone was the bright blue sky, and the myriad of night lights that lit up the dim streets. Besides the cold chilly air that had settled, Tatsuya could sense the distinct aura of death that pervaded the city. It was faint, but it was there.

' _Definitely something paranormal. Question is, what?'_

First, he had to notify the supervisor of the upcoming Grail War. If his- the Yotsuba's sources were correct, the man went by the name of Kotomine Kirei. Perhaps he might have answers to the questions he himself could not answer. He looked to his left hand, and the red engraving upon it. An upturned tear drop, with what looked like curved blades coming out of both sides of it. A star shaped sign above the upturned tear drop, before another tear drop, this one the right way up, finished the engraving. The Command Seals. Three in all, which forced absolute obedience of the Servant to the Master. It seemed the Grail's master-servant system had already recognised him as a capable magus to participate in the Grail War.

He wondered what kind of opponents he would come across. He hoped that none of them were still at school, like himself. He wouldn't want to have to… deal with them. They weren't a threat per say, but the extra baggage when their schools eventually come looking for their missing student wasn't something Tatsuya wanted to deal with. 

'That reminds me… with all that's happened, I've forgotten to notify the Student Council that we'll be absent for a long period of time on "family business"' Tatsuya grimly reminded himself. 'Mayumi will be furious. Not only the junior disciplinary committee member, but the junior Student Council member of First Magic High School would be absent. Maybe I'll make it up to her later.'

Though, he'd have to be careful around her now. Now that he had reawakened his devil powers, he would need to make sure he did not reveal to her that he was also a member of the Ten Master Clans, lest everyone getting on his case.

xxx 

"Achoo!" was the only noise made upon the rooftop of the office building.z

"Are you cold, master?" The deep voice asked in amusement.

"Shutup, Archer. My coat is perfectly warm. It must be someone talking about me. Noone can resist talking about me, anyways" she replied haughtily.

"Sure thing, Rin" he laughed, before getting a smack to the head.

xxx

3 hours later – Midnight

Tatsuya was ready to perform his summoning. He had finished engraving the summoning circle – it was rather complex, using only his photographic memory. Two concentric circles, each with smaller circles aligning with the eight compass directions – all containing different symbols. A six pointed star finished the engraving. He didn't have a catalyst with him – there wasn't sufficient time for him to go and find one. All he could do was hope for a decent servant – no, a decent companion. It would do him little good to act above someone. He needed allies, not subordinates. But that was a thought for another time.

He oustretched his hand, and the circle glowed purple. He kneeled down on his left knee and closed his eyes, remembering the verses required for the summoning.

" _Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone. The ancestor is the Great Devil Lucifer.  
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the burning crown, the three-forked road that leads to the Underworld circulate.  
Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill)." _He chanted

The circle turned a deep crimson, before returning purple once more. _  
" Repeat every five times.  
Simply, shatter once filled.  
――――I announce.  
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.  
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer."  
_The summoning circle pulsed, and he could feel the pull on my mana reserves being substantial, even with his almost endless mana reserves. _  
"Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the winged, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the supernatural.  
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――_ _！"_

There was a blinding flash in front of him as he opened his eyes, revealing a tall, slender woman, clothed in a thin royal purple robe, with a black cape and hood that covered her eyes, but allowed one to see the long blue hair.

"Amusing. I see I have found myself… summoned into this time" the figure drawled out. She then turned around and faced Tatsuya, before asking "And I see a strong magus. I ask you. Are you my master?"

xxx

 **Aaaaand, that's chapter 1 done. I would have made this chapter a bit longer, but I'm still trying to get into the groove. As of posting this, I had only just finished my last exam for this term, so I didn't have much time, but I still wanted to get things out.  
** **Side note** **: I may have thrown myself into the deep end, with all the stupid magic systems. Highschool DxD has a simple magic system, while Fate/ has an** _ **even more**_ **complicated system. And Mahouka –** _ **ugh…**_ **don't get me started on their one. So I might need a bit of time to get used to it.  
Also, Tatsuya DOES have a Sacred Gear. He just doesn't know what it is yet. Can ya guys guess?  
I've also kinda given away what servant he summons, but I'm interested to see if you all know.  
Catch ya guys next time!  
** __


	3. Chapter 3: Fuyuki: Dawn of a New War

**Hello again! This took a really, really, really….. Really long time, because right now I'm diverging from canon (all of them), then coming back to a few of them later on. So really, I'm winging it. I'm also trying to characterise people and world build properly while still hovering in Tatsuya's perspective before I go back to canon, so that's a thing too.**

Tatsuya took a deep breath while his arms rested on the balcony rails. Now things had cooled down and think a little about what had happened recently, he had realised how much of a rush his life had been this past year. Aunty Miya had passed away, and he and Miyuki grew distant at times when she felt down. In February, they started attending First Magic High School, and happened to meet two of the other Ten Master Clans – the Saegusas in Mayumi, the Juumonji in Katsuto. Being of similar backgrounds, the three had gotten along well. He had considered hiding his identity while taking the last name Shiba – the one Miyuki had, but decided not to. It was not only the fact that it would be detrimental for relations between their families in the future, but also out of respect for Miya that he stayed away from anything to do with Tatsurou.

Then came the Nine Schools Competition – a competition between the nine (obviously) magic high schools based in Japan to publicly display both the strongest school and showcase the potential of the newest crop of students that would soon become part of the magician industry. They came across No-Headed Dragon, a money laundering organisation that was part of the Great Asian Alliance, ones directly responsible for the attack at Okinawa, and now directly interfered with the Competition, going as far as meddling with Miyuki's CAD. Tatsuya felt as if he needed to deal with them personally, ended up killing Richard Sun, thus ending the No Head Dragon Eastern Japanese Branch. Not long afterwards with the assassination of Richard Sun in August of the same year, their organization collapsed. Then it was the one that changed it all – when Miyuki was hurt a second time. She had been attacked by a god that was apparently Apollo, and the burns she suffered left her in a coma that Tatsuya didn't know when she'd come out of.

It had been a long 12 months. It gave him little time to really think about what he wanted to do in life. He found it funny he only had time to really contemplate everything right before another conflict – the Fuyuki Grail War – started.

"Are you alright master?" a voice asked from behind him.  
"No, I'm fine. Just needed a breath of fresh air. That's all, Medea" he replied, back still turned to her. "And call me Tatsuya – at least when no one's around. I have enough people back home calling me that"  
"Just get some rest, master. It would not do to have you be all tired in the middle of a fight between Masters and servant, after all" Medea replied "There is no need to worry. I can keep watch. Servants do not require sustenance or sleep as long as their Master provides enough mana, which you have _oh_ so much of, kukukuku" she giggled, probably making an inappropriate joke that Tatsuya was too fatigued to bother reacting to. Having not rested since the day had started, THEN performing a summoning really drained his stamina and the mental fatigue was starting to become apparent. He should probably take up her offer. "Yes, yes, Madam" he returned a small smile. 

xxx

 _Tatsuya found himself, without a body, atop of cliff facing towards an open sea, besides two figures. One was a young man entirely clad in angular bronze armour, which was traditional of every Greek warrior. He had blonde hair and a long iron blade sheathed on his left side. The other was a familiar figure – one with light blue hair and a flowing chiton, smiling at her companion beside her.  
The land was lush and the sea breeze was gentle. This place was in a time before war had swept through and ravaged it._

" _What do you want to do, my dear princess Medea?" the young man asked.  
"I want to explore this world, Jason. Being a princess means I live in a small world. Let me join you and your Argonauts, and I shall promise to aid you however I may be able to" Medea replied in a hopeful tone.  
" That sounds acceptable. Let us ask your father if he can provide any aid in my quest, fair maiden" Jason smiled.  
'_This must be Medea's memories I'm seeing right now' Tatsuya thought. _And he was had a glaring suspicion that he was experiencing the events of her life. And if his memory served right – which it always did – the princely-yet-not-prince man was to be Jason, leader of the Argonauts, who, for a time, was Medea's husband. Was this as a result of their contract? It seemed very intrusive on someone's personal life. But that was a thought for a later time. These… visions were starting.  
. That was on the first of the memories that played on. At first the memories came steadily, allowing him to watch in, like he was a part of the memory himself. But they started getting faster and faster – as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button on a remote control. It zoomed by Medea's memories._

 _The first was of Jason's task to tackle fire-breathing oxen and use them to plough a field. It showed how_ _Medea_ _gave him ointment to apply on himself and his weapons, in protection from the flames. Then it showed her he was to take dragon teeth and sow them in the field he had just then ploughed. No sooner had he sown them, an army of warriors sprang up. It told of how_ _Medea had pre-emptively told him_ _, and thus_ _Jason_ _was not surprised; he threw a rock amidst the army, and the warriors, not knowing who had thrown the rock, started fighting each other and killed themselves. Then, it showed Jason's third and final task to kill the sleepless guardian dragon of the_ _Golden Fleece_ _._ _Medea_ _provided the sleeping herbs with which the dragon fell asleep and_ _Jason_ _then slew him and retrieved the_ _Golden Fleece_ _. It showed how Medea had followed on her promise, how they grew close to each other. It was like a fairy tale. Medea had looked so excited and carefree while she stood beside him. But it seemed to be short lived._

 _The next set of memories showed the two sailing away after taking the Golden Fleece, with_ _Jason_ _and_ _Medea_ _being pursued by her father, King Aeates. To slow him down,_ _Medea_ _killed her brother Prince Absyrtus, dismembered him and threw the body parts at sea. On the way home, they stopped at_ _Circe_ _'s island,_ _Medea_ _'s aunt and goddess of magic, in order to absolve_ _Medea_ _of her sin. Just when they thought their trials and tribulations had come to an end, they were wrong. Another set of memories came glancing by._

 _The two had then approached_ _Crete_ _, where_ _Talos_ _, a giant bronze automaton created by the Greek fire god Hephaestus, guarded the island and threw stones against the ship that approached – the one that Jason and Medea sailed upon. Apparently_ _Talos_ _had a single vein, through which the blood of the gods, called_ _ichor_ _, flowed._ _Medea_ _managed to remove the nail from this single vein, which kept the_ _ichor_ _inside, and_ _Talos_ **** _bled out and died. After they had landed on_ _Crete_ _, they found out that_ _Jason_ _'s father, Aeson, was very ill and old, and_ _Jason_ _asked_ _Medea_ _to help; what she did was to remove the blood of Aeson, infuse it with magical herbs and put it back into his body, reinvigorating him._

It was at this point that Tatsuya was concerned about the two. They had come across many different mythological creatures by this point, far more than one could expect in a normal life. Was there some other force manipulating their journey? The memories continued, showing the next set of trials the pair had experienced.

 _He watched them return to_ _Iolcus_ _, where King_ _Pelias_ _' daughters asked_ _Medea_ _to do the same for their father, what they did to Jason's own father. As_ _Pelias_ _was refusing to give the throne to_ _Jason_ _,_ _Medea_ **** _thought of making his daughters kill him. He watched as Medea told them that she could restore life by cutting a person in pieces and boiling the parts with herbs. So, in foolish obedience, the daughters killed their father and threw the body parts in a pot. Thus was the ending of a master plan that the goddess_ _Hera_ _had conceived to kill_ _Pelias_ _for being disobedient; it was her who made_ _Jason_ _fall in love with_ _Medea_ _. How Tatsuya had realised, was that he felt the same overbearing presence, that same arrogant stature when he had been near Apollo, another of the Greek gods. The goddess must have known that she had the power to kill_ _Pelias_ _in the future and thus manipulated their journey to do such a thing._

 _After_ _Pelias_ _' murder,_ _Jason_ _and_ _Medea_ _had gone to_ _Corinth_ _and had a number of children. Although Tatsuya knew the myth had different endings, he watched_ _Jason_ _abandoned his wife to marry_ _Glauce_ _, the king's daughter._ _Medea_ _, enraged, sent a dress and a coronet covered in poison, causing the deaths of both_ _Glauce_ _and her father. She then killed her children, and fled to_ _Athens_ _on a golden chariot sent by her grandfather, the titan_ _Helios_ _._

He clenched his fists when he watched how Medea's life had progressively spiralled out of control. How she had gone from an innocent and curious princess to a fragile, betrayed and scorned woman, hailed as a 'witch'. How she had loved Jason, only to be betrayed by the gods – the gods who held the puppet strings of her life. Those Greek gods knew no limits, apparently. They seemed to love doing whatever they wished without a care in the world, without care of the consequences. There was one last memory - of Medea healing Heracles, then of yet again someone else leaving her for another. Tatsuya had seen enough to know that the gods (at least the Greek ones) had torn through Medea's life.

He had an inkling of a thought. Was this why she was summoned to him? Because she had experienced something similar to what he had? He had almost lost Miyuki. She had lost what little love she had for Jason, being outcasted and branded as a witch. Both were because of _those_ Greek gods.

When the memories of Medea had finally concluded, Tatsuya awoke from his slumber. He looked outside the window and took notice of the setting sun. 'I slept that long, huh' Tatsuya thought.

Tatsuya had rarely slept more than five or six hours a day, what with developing new technology for the Four Leaves Technology company, managing issues to do with Magic High School as part of the Public Morals Committee, and checking in with the 101 Magic-Equipped Battalion. It left him little time to rest for long periods of time – not that he complained anyways.

"Are you alright, master? You've slept quite a while now." The cloaked woman questioned, in both a teasing and concerned tone, somehow.

He frowned. "Yes, I am alright. Thank you for your concern, miss. But like I said before, call me Tatsuya – it gets weird, sometimes. We work together, you know? You're not working for me. I'm not your master. I'm your…. partner". While he was physically fine, mentally he was not. Watching Medea's life as he dreamed really unsettled his thoughts about the Greek gods. What was up with them? Why were they so set, so determined on interfering with mortal lives? There was the run-in with Apollo, and now Medea's journey across the Aegean only to end in her death, only a few years after she left the safety of her place as princess of Colchis. "Did anything come up while I was asleep?"

"If you wish so, Tatsuya. And on your question - not much, but I detected two magical presences converging on each other a few minutes ago. Probably two servants, judging by their signature. Their signatures are far too strong for it to be anything else. Should we scout it out?" Medea replied. Tatsuya nodded.

Tatsuya had summoned Medea as a Caster – of the seven classes Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin and Berserker – Casters had the strongest connection to the ambient magic around them. Other servants not of the caster class could detect other servants in short range through the Grail's system, but Casters could directly determine magical presences through the leylines – Fuyuki's was especially large, and thus she could find two Heroic Spirits (who exuded mana like it was running out) like knowing the back of their hand.

But there was still a question he had on his mind. He had half a mind that already knew the answer, but he still wanted to ask her.

"Before we go, I wanted to ask you. What is your wish, Medea?" Medea paused half-way through her stride and stiffened as if she was stricken for a second, but continued on before replying without turning around "To live a normal life. I have done far too many things I regret doing, because they either end up coming back to get me or at the very least hurt me in more ways than one".

"You and I are similar in a way, now that I look at it" he remarked, as he left the apartment. "We both wanted to live outside the place we were confined to, and it ended up hitting us in the face when we tried to do so." He continued.

"And….how do you know this?" Medea inquired in a threatening tone. Tatsuya paused for a second, wondering why she had become so hostile – then remembered what he saw in his dream. Everyone that knew her, knew her as Medea, the princess of Colchis. The strongest female mage of the era.

The one that could heal others from the brink of death. Could perform miracles.

And when they couldn't find a way for them to control, to use her, called her a witch.

The world had turned on her. She had nothing left. No one to love, no one to trust, and especially no gods to pray to that could – or would – help her.

She was hailed as the Witch of Betrayal, because she had first been betrayed. Because she got too close to one watched by the gods. She had to become ruthless in order to survive.

So Tatsuya understood where her hostility came from – why he suddenly knew about her life in such intimate detail. And he was going to relieve her of her question before she had the mind to blow two holes in the back of her head. It was no doubt that she was a more adept mage than he was. They were both about the same speed, but his advantage was his physical ability – he could wield a katana, as well deal with close combat situations – but many of ancient magic practitioners still active in modern times do so as well.

"I…I saw you in a dream, Medea" Tatsuya carefully chose his words, eyeing her for her reactions. None so far. He continued "I saw your life. How you wanted to go and see the world beyond the Colchis palace. How you journeyed with Jason, before he ultimately left you for someone else. How you wished for someone to love you, but the gods played a cruel joke on you". He made no move to comfort her, as she would certainly be over it after having so long in the Throne of Heroes to be able to settle her feelings.

Medea visibly relaxed, and Tatsuya took it as a good sign. "So you know. What are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing. I'm sure you've had a long time to settle your feelings about your…. Untimely fate. So unless you want to talk about it, I'll leave it alone" Tatsuya answered in a measured tone. Medea smiled and said nothing but hummed in an upbeat tone. While Tatsuya did not know what Medea was feeling right now, she was happy that she had been summoned by such an understanding and logical master. While he was right in thinking that she had long diminished her begrudging stance against the people who had a hand in her fate, she still was angry at the gods – because they dared to hide their faces while meddling in her life. She appreciated that he cared about what she wanted – far more than what could be said for anyone in her past life.

xxx

After Medea had teleported herself and Tatsuya, they appeared to be on the rooftop at a high school complex. Right now, they were watching a confrontation between three figures upon the sports field of the complex. The two that faced away from Medea and Tatsuya were dressed in red – one was a slender girl with black, twin-banged hair. She had on a red coat that reached her mid-thighs and wore black stockings – Tatsuya and Medea couldn't see much from this angle. The second red figure was much taller and well-built. He had spiked white hair and a long red trench coat that was almost identical to the girl's, probably signalling that they were on the same side. The white haired man held two falchions in his hands – one black and one white, both with a curve-ended edge. On the other side of the field was another man, facing their direction and in a relaxed stance. He had donned a blue leotard with angular white lines that haphazardly travelled around his torso, which matched the colour of his hair that pointed backwards, completed by two silver overlaying pauldrons. He held a slender, red spear that almost seemed to be pulsating, what with the various lines on his spear that protruded out from the main body of the spear. 'So that servant is obviously a Lancer' Tatsuya concluded

There was a short exchange of words that neither Tatsuya nor Medea could hear between the three, before the white-haired man briefly glowed blue before phasing out of existence, only to reappear in front of the spear wielder. He initiated the fight by bring his swords in a downwards horizontal slash, but the Lancer brought up his spear with his right hand to block the move. The rest of the fight was far from slow – between the Lancer, who had likely had the highest speed of all the servants, and the sword wielder. The three clashed weapons three more times before the white-haired man backed off and ran to the side, likely in order to try and strike from another angle.

Tatsuya was proven right when he went in once more, and swung his pair of sword horizontally to his left, countering the Lancer's spear swing to the left. The Lancer blinked out of existence before reappearing, mirror their previous clash but in opposite directions. A rapid set of clashes and loud clangs later, the archer backflipped into the air and away, hoping to gain an advantage by getting out of the Lancer's longer range in close combat. However, the Lancer did not let up, dashing to where the other would land, not allowing him to reset the fight.

The pair repeated their stalemate, clashing swords and spear into each other a few more times and performing a few erratic movements in order to find a way to overcome the other, but ultimately bore no fruition. The sword user used a strange type of magic – Projection - if he recalled his magical studies in his early life properly. But this seemed to be taking it to a new level – one that apparently allowed him to project into existence the same two swords multiple times within a span of a few seconds, only to be destroyed a spear thrust or swing later. It was strange, the sword wielder's style. As a katana user, Tatsuya notice he left far too many openings in his stance, especially for a dual-wielder. With two swords he should be able to cover most directions of attack – and in a duel, it should be text-book simple. Unless... it was the sword-wielder was doing that on purpose.

The shower of sparks stopped when the Lancer's spear suddenly glowed in a pinkish-red flame. The particles around him started going haywire, and the atmosphere grew thick, like death was almost here. 'What the _hell_ is that?' Tatsuya stared with wide eyes. His question was answered immediately by his blue haired companion, who seemed to have read his mind. "It seems that you are yet to be fully informed about this Grail War, Tatsuya, so leave it to me to explain"

She pointed at the red spear. "That, Tatsuya, is a Noble Phantasm. They are the embodiment of the ultimate mysteries of a hero that symbolizes one's existence. They can be physical weapons, such as swords, bows, or in this case a spear, or support items, such as rings and crowns. They can also be abstract concepts, like unique abilities, unique means of attacks, curses, and changes to the environment and its physical properties. When used by Servants in the Grail Wars such as this one, they are the trump cards of the heroes that allow them to overcome others in battle" Medea supplied, regurgitating the information supplied to her by the Grail. "And if I'm correct, that Lancer is Ireland's Child of Light, Cu Chulainn. There are only three well known European spear wielders, and only one fits the persona of a red spear-wielding male. So that other servant is nothing less than dead if he does nothing".

But apparently, fate had other plans as the Lancer, now known as Cu Chulainn, paused and the flare around his spear died down.

"Who goes there?!" he yelled. Lancer was preoccupied with looking behind the red duo, towards a young male figure with burgundy hair, and a beige coloured blazer and slacks. Said figure looked to be running away, towards the multi-story block of school buildings that Tatsuya and Medea were currently spying upon. It was not long before Lancer had begun in a mad dash after the young man, like a dog hunting down its game.

The most important rule of ancient magic was to keep it away from civilian witnesses – no, not against the government – they had sanctioned uses of modern magic, which largely revolved around the manipulation of pre-existing elements in the surrounding environment, specifically for use in warfare and scientific uses. Thus public views have been established to be tolerant of such modern magic, and assumed to be simply the weaponised and material form of branches of science but keeping a firm distance from any active use of it. Not only that, but the government has known of ancient magic and have reluctantly agreed to turn a blind eye to the issue thanks to certain magical clans that exist within the bounds of Japanese territory. Thus questions about any other sorts of magics besides modern branches by civilians (non-magicians or divine descendants) have been avoided so far.

On the other hand, ancient magic involves many concepts and mystical phenomena such as magical weapons and divine constructs (read: Noble Phantasms and Mystic Codes). Overall, a large majority magic defying the laws of physics and an affront to the unspoken rules Gaia had set in ancient times. If word, or even simply speculation of such magic were to escape the confounds of the magical and supernatural society, the status quo that exists today for non-magicians would simply wisp away. People would start questioning how these things exist, and lead to further examination of such phenomena. Civilians could get too close to the truth, and risk being killed for revealing the abnormal and supernatural. Many ancient magicians would have to go deep into hiding to avoid being captured and experimented on like lab rats – humans are an envious people and would often throw morals aside to get what they want, after all. Questions would be raised about why they were not told, and question if anything else would be hidden. It would simply be far too problematic to reveal such a thing, lest it become an exponentially growing tumour of social and political anarchy. Thus, eliminating any witnesses was the first rule for ancient magic practitioners.

If Lancer let the young man go, he would risk revealing the presence of ancient magic to the world. But that didn't mean Tatsuya would let him simply kill that young male (who was obviously a naïve student and innocent bystander). The burgundy-haired male was just that. Innocent. Leaving the young man to die at the hands of something he knew nothing about would be hypocritical of his own ideal to protect those that could not protect themselves.

"Let's go, Medea. Let's see if we can do anything about this… incident". Tatsuya immediately headed towards the door to the stairway without waiting for a response from his companion.

"Ooh, master Tatsuya. Playing hero now, are we? Alright then… let's see how much amusement I can get out of this" Medea replied teasingly, with a slight smirk before returning to her spirit form.

xxx

"No….no,no,no! Don't do this to me…. Why did you have to be here? Why did you have to pick this hour, on this day, to be here? How am I supposed to look _her_ in the eye tomorrow, Shirou?" she cried in a defeated tone, hands covering her face in apparent shame.

It was this that Tatsuya heard as he arrived at the scene. It was eerily quiet, like the wildlife had held their collective breaths in wait for what would happen next. It was a quiet that seemed to ignore the unmoving figure that lay in his own pool of blood. If a less informed bystander may have happened to come across this scene, it may have looked like a young girl had just murdered a student of the school.

Of course, Tatsuya had watched the entire matter unfold, so that was a moot point.

He had resolved to help the student (read: innocent bystander) and the obviously distressed companion kneeling beside her. Secrecy aside, he would eventually have to reveal himself to the other six masters of the war, anyways, so he wouldn't be losing out.

Rin held a red pendant that glowed ominously in the winter moonlight. "There's still another way…."

Tatsuya held a monotonous tone. "It won't be enough."

"I know, but…." Rin brushed off. It took a moment before the figurative light bulb over her head lit up and immediately raised her arm, Gandrs at the ready. "Wait. Who goes there?!"

"Someone who can help out in this predicament, I assure you". It was a simple matter of using Restoration on Shirou's body, and everything would be fine. Therein _would_ lie the problem in revealing one of his unique magic abilities to an unknown magus. In classic Yotsuba fashion, there was a file, somewhere in their archives, of the family of said magus – the Yotsuba clan DID pride themselves with keeping tabs on everything else in the world. The Tohsakas. One of the three mage families that had pooled their resources into constructing the Holy Grail, the same (apparently) omnipotent wish-granting device they were now vying for. The Tohsakas specifically gave the land to create the grail, and thus are the spiritual owners of Fuyuki. However, that was all the information the archives gave him about them. No clear motive meant that they would be unpredictable; and Tatsuya hated unpredictability – at least in his enemies. He continued, feigning a lack of knowledge of who she was. "What's it to you, anyways?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I am Tohsaka Rin, the spiritual owner of Fuyuki" as she gazed down at the unconscious body in front of her. "As such, this city is _my_ responsibility to watch over. Any incidents here come under my jurisdiction. So, I will ask you again" her arm still pointed at him ready to fire at any moment "Who. Are. You?"

"Yotsuba. But that's beside the point." He looked to his right side with a look that gave a go-ahead. For a second one would think he was making faces at a wall, before a familiar blue-robed female materialised in that very same spot.  
"You! You're... you're a master!" she backed up quickly, with index finger shakily pointed straight at him, alarmed that she had allowed another master to get so close to her. But Tatsuya payed her no mind, as he hovered his hand around Shirou's torso focused on trying to heal him.

Tatsuya frowned as he retracted his arm in contemplation. His restoration magic had been rejected yet _again_ – the first and last time was actually two days before – when he failed to aid Miyuki because Tatsuya's mana was feeding back into his own body like it prevented him from using it in the first place. This time he felt his restoration magic drain his mana and cast itself into Shirou's body but was simply rejected and dissipated into the air.

"Tats-" Medea started, but realising there was someone else around, quickly corrected herself "Master. I should be able to help him, but we must return back home. Carry him will ya, dear?" she stood up, eyeing Rin's still alarmed stance. Chirpily, Medea communicated through their master-servant bond. _"Obviously, we don't want another master finding out what we can do, right?"_  
In silent agreement, Tatsuya picked up Shirou by the arms and legs. Medea held an arm out to Tatsuya's shoulder, and before long they were gone.

It was at that moment, Rin decided to snap out of her stupor. "Hey, wait!" Her hand grabbed at nothing but air, before took a deep sigh. "That's it. I'm just going to go home and sleep. This day clearly couldn't get any worse." She muttered, hastily casting a spell to clean up the pool of blood that had started to solidify and dry up, before she too, left the school complex.

 **Nothing new here story wise, just trying to tie in a few characters into the crossover universe. Next chapter, it will get a bit more interesting :P**


	4. Chapter 4: Fuyuki: Chaos

**Yo! I'm finally back, after like…. 5 months. After I finished high school I haven't had any motivation to get back to writing this. After rewatching UBW, I just felt like I had to.  
Now, with the fanfic, while I haven't been writing I have been thinking, thinking that I really don't want to drag this FSN arc out - since I'm not the most well versed in the Nasuverse and won't be able to go into as much detail as I'd like… so it might seem a bit jumpy.  
Continuing on the topic of Fate, FGO has been killer recently. First was Okeanos, then it was Halloween, and a week later it was Guda Guda, then Christmas, now it's Valentines and soon the KnK collab. DW, STOP KILLING ME!**

 **Storywise, I'm removing Mahouka's canon storyline, because I realised it didn't fit at all with the mythological theme I'm going with. So I'm only taking a bit of their backstory and their characters.  
Ugh… onto chapter 4!  
P.S. Most of the more intense FSN UBW soundtracks would help set the mood while reading.**

Tatsuya tried to relax his mind as he rubbed his temples. How had he gotten to this point again? Point - being staring down the face of arguable the most famous and legendary demigod again? Oh, right. It first started when he summoned a second servant. How, you ask? Simple.

…..

18 hours ago

With Medea's help, he had managed to graft a second set of three Command Seals - this time onto his right hand, with a symbol that vaguely had an overarching shape of a diamond. She had convinced him, with her seer-like powers inherited from Helios that he would be better off not knowing about the Moonlit World, as it would bring him too much pain and suffering. She then told him that there was still something strange, something foreign still inside his body, which should have dissipated once his Command Seals were removed. He then finally noticed the slight stinging sensation he felt ever since coming into contact with the red-haired boy that he had not realised, too busy caught up in everything else that happened.

Using his newfound powers inherited from Miya, he delved through the memories of the redhead. _And what a sight it was_.  
 _Hot. It was very hot. The rising smoke all around, the orange flames blanketing the entire landscape around him. Protrusions of wooden beams and half-burnt houses made it evident it was a warzone. Broken and desperate screams were everywhere, every which direction he turned to. But he kept walking forward. Drowning the chaos out. Trying to live. He had a lot left to live for, didn't he?_

But Tatsuya was getting sidetracked. He reaffirmed his determination, and focused harder, trying to dive harder into the boy's memories. And that was where he saw it. A dazzling, gleaming light that lit up the foggy memories that the boy still clung to. An entity that was extremely old, yet remained imperfectly perfect. He approached the dazzling light with a body that wasn't there, before reaching out and grasping it.

From outside the boy's mind, Medea watched as his master seemingly telepathically withdrew a shining, golden scabbard, lined with criss-crosses of royal blue that emitted a strong holy aura many ancient swords would. At the same time, from the corner of a room, a large summoning circle lit up as if in welcome of the golden scabbard. Not long after, Tatsuya woke from his unconscious state.  
"There doesn't seem to be any more foreign entities left in his body. This scabbard seems to have been the major offender."  
Medea only hummed in response.  
"Is that another summoning circle?"  
"Yes. It seems that the grail has recognised your second set of Command Seals, though this rune looks just about a decade old…."  
"That's….odd. Nonetheless, it is a boon for us."  
"Agreed. Let's find out what it has in store for us, no?"  
Tatsuya nodded his head in agreement, before standing and approaching the runic glowing engravings, scabbard glowing ominously in hand, as if interacting with each other. Recognising this, he placed the scabbard in the centre of the circle before standing back, and repeating the words used to summon Medea.  
Once he finished his chant, the entire shed lit up in a shower of blue. Then there was the blue mist, the signal of a materialisation of a servant. The entire upper torso of the figure was covered in separate pieces of steel armour – the armguards, gloves, a chest plate angled so sharply forward it could probably be used as a weapon in itself, and pauldrons, all overlayed by a royal blue and white fur cape. The lower half of the figure also had steel greaves, blue leggings that came up to the thigh and a long skirt that didn't look like it fit on the battlefield. Last of all was the intimidating steel helmet they wore, lined with fur over the top and out of the back of the helmet, giving the visage of a steel lion.

"I ask you. Are you worthy to be my master?" the figure, feminine, if the voice was of any indication, questioned.  
"Yes. Though I have to ask…" Tatsuya trailed off, reaching for the scabbard that was still present on the summoning circle "Is this yours, by any chance?"  
The figure's entire body straightened in response. "No way… it's still here! After all this time…."  
Carefully reaching for the scabbard, both hands of the figure caressing the ends of the scabbard. "Avalon….." she murmured, taking a deep breath and holding it towards her chest, before it dissolved into golden particles and accumulate itself within her body.  
"Then I am servant Saber. I will henceforth be your sword, and my fate is your fate. The pact has been sealed. I am grateful in lieu of you returning something that I once lost, so thank you." She bowed her head.  
"Avalon, huh? There's only one person in the history of mankind that had a scabbard worth mentioning. King Arturia, no?" the other female figure in the room pondered out loud.  
"And who are you over there? Are you perchance another heroic spirit?" the apparent King retorted with suspicion.  
"I am indeed a servant like you, kukuku. Servant Caster, if you will. Our gracious master here has been granted the chance to summon two of us you see. It will make our odds far greater in the upcoming battles we may face." Medea explained.  
"Yes, it will. I am Tatsuya of the Yotsuba clan. Now that we have introduced ourselves to each other, we may like to introduce ourselves to the… welcoming party outside. Saber, conceal yourself. We don't want to give away our advantage just yet."  
Arturia only gave a passing glance to Tatsuya, before smiling and nodding. Good. She seemed to be in good hands. A second later, there was a blue shimmer and she vanished. 

…. 

"Hmm… you're not the person I was expecting here…" A familiar twin-tailed girl stated  
"Then who _were_ you expecting?" Tatsuya replied  
"The one who is supposed to be living here, duh. You also said you were going to be home, but this clearly isn't." Was the witty reply.  
"I've already dealt with him, so to speak. He'll live a normal life from now on. And to answer you, we have no need to return back to our base just yet."  
"If I'm to believe you, then it is a good thing. That boy doesn't seem to have any luck in life." It looked like Rin was going to forgive him, but her servant, Archer, seemed to have other ideas.  
The whiz of an arrow was the only warning Tatsuya had to leap to the side. The arrow impacted the ground, a small crater forming.  
"Archer! What are you doing?! I was talking to him!" Rin shouted seemingly to no one  
The Archer then took that as a cue to materialise, before retorting, bow loaded with another arrow ready to fire. "He is a dangerous one, Rin. More so than any other master. I fear he may even be stronger than me right now, as a servant."  
"Then what makes you think you have any chance to kill him then, Archer?" Medea asked. "Surely you don't think I'm going to let my dear master fight alone, do you? Or are you that foolish?"  
"Ah, well. My policy WAS to take the opportunities that do present itself to me…" Rin relented. "But we're having a talk about who's making the decisions here when we get back, Archer!"  
"Yes, yes, RIn."  
"Are u done talking yet? I'm getting bored here." Caster frowned.

"Hmph. You better watch out behind you then." Archer smirked.  
In response a blue blur shot towards them from the corner of his eye. He would have no time to dodge that. So he did the only thing he could.  
"Saber." He called.

The blue blue came to an instant halt as he collided with an invisible object, one that materialised an instant later. The revealed Lancer was immediately shoved backwards by Saber with immense force.  
"A second servant?!" Rin exclaimed "Are you serious?! This is SO unfair!"  
"In war, there is no such thing as fair." both Tatsuya and Arturia replied in unison. They looked at each other awkwardly for a second. Even though Saber was wearing a helmet, you could tell she was smiling under it. A comment from Lancer interrupted their mid-encounter interaction.  
"Tch. To think I got the jump on you. Maybe I underestimated the 2nd master. Having Caster around you masked Saber's own presence!"  
"Saber. Deal with Lancer. Use your strengths at your discretion." Tatsuya ordered.  
"And have a bit of my help too, good King." Caster added, before Arturia momentarily glowed purple.  
Saber, feeling lighter, faster and stronger, wordlessly rushed in the direction Lancer, who had retreated a ways back, likely to isolate her. 'Fine' she thought. 'I love a good duel, anyways.'  
That left the standoff between Medea & Tatsuya and Archer & Rin.  
"I've already seen you two fight. It seems Lancer was ever the opportunist." Tatsuya stated. "I know Lancer is not with you."  
"However, that doesn't mean we're going to let you go." One of his Silver Horns materialised in his left hand. He had learned that neat trick during one of the classes. It made carrying things around much easier.

Medea ascended into the sky, unfurling her cape as to give the impression of a large rainbow-coloured butterfly, before she willed into existence several circles of shimmering violet behind her. Not one to stand and watch in awe, Rin retreated backwards while Archer leapt forwards before leaping up to engage Caster.  
Unfortunately, there was still Tatsuya, who fired a blue bullet of energy towards her using his Silver Horn. She only shift her head of the way just enough that it zoomed by, cutting her right cheek open.  
There was no time to curse for Rin, however, as Tatsuya approached, with a closed fist descending upon her. She crossed her arms together in front of her body with only millimetres to spare, before she grunted, being pushed back about a metre or so as a result of the impact.  
Now with a little breathing room, Rin was finally able to enter her martial stance – her left hand slightly in front of her right, with her legs glowing with a maze of angled green lines – _Reinforcement_. Ready to counterattack, Rin shot forward with her empowered legs, throwing a wild _Gandr_ from her forefinger at Tatsuya. It was only a hopeful attempt though, as his lightning reflexes allowed him to bend over backwards, completely avoiding the red beam. 

The two's bodies collided once more, this time in a more even bout. Rin threw a punch to the right, but it was blocked with an open hand. The same could be said for the next few hits. She then tried to sweep out his legs, but in a surprising amount of flexibility, he leaped entirely over her head and landed behind her, outstretching his arm and karate chopped her backside. She lurched forward as a result, nearly face planting into the dirt as a result – the only thing preventing such a thing was her reinforced legs.  
'Tch. So I'm not the only one with hand-to-hand combat training.' Rin said to herself, annoyed.

"Looks like your servant Archer isn't doing very well" Tatsuya stated with an impassive expression.  
"Kuh. Looks like Archer spoke too soon…." Rin sighed, turning her body around to face him once again.  
"I don't have anything against you, fellow master." Tatsuya declared. "You have your life ahead of you. Don't waste it too early. Your servant, on the other hand…." He trailed off, before vanishing in a gust of air, reappearing a ways behind Archer.  
"Wait!" Rin shouted in futility. "…. Damnit! That's the second time!"

…

Currently, Archer was unable to deal with the arcane barrage Medea had conjured. Every violet beam was strong enough to destroy each of the sets of Kanshou and Bakuya that he projected and used to block. While he could do this for a long while, he had to keep in mind his master Rin still had to fight that other master, and he couldn't go for the offensive before he'd be skewered 15 times over by the beams.  
"Is this all, Archer? I expected more from you. Maybe you should have **kept your mouth shut!** " Medea exclaimed.  
"Hmph. Trying to taunt me, witch? You'll have to try harder than that" Archer retorted.  
"I'm not taunting you. I'm telling you." Medea grinned from under her cowl.  
"Wha-" before Archer could give another snarkily reply, a fist collided with his cheek, sending him flying towards the rough ground and closer towards Medea. It didn't stop there. Tatsuya fired a bullet with enough energy to disintegrate him. With his slightly superior speed over Tatsuya, he rolled out of the way and got back to his feet.  
"Trace… on!" he shouted once more, having already done so multiple times within the short bout. This drew an inquisitive look from the master of Caster, but said nothing.  
Another set of the Married Blades appeared in his waiting hands once more, he steeled himself, before charging towards Tatsuya. 'This master isn't human. I can smell it! And.. I need to know what!' he thought.

Unfortunately for Archer, his brief hesitation had allowed Tatsuya to draw his katana, the blade held horizontally perpendicular to his body, ready to block any front-prone strikes. Thus, his two falchions smashed against Tatsuya's katana in a shower of sparks. If there was something Archer would have thought he'd have an advantage in over any human (or the like), it'd be his swordplay. They grunted as their blades struggled against one another in a momentary battle of strength, one that Tatsuya won easily, forcing Archer back. He pivoted on the ball of his foot to reissue his attack, his twin falchions parallel to one other, once again generating sparks as it collided once more. The third, fourth, fifth strikes went much the same way. The sixth, however, Archer decided to infuse his swords with even more prana. He couldn't use the chant to make his triple-linked Crane Wings. No. This master wouldn't give him enough time to. 

Tatsuya seemed to have sense the change, and in a seemingly random bout of madness, had dropped his katana and brought his fists up, ready to intercept the blade swings. What happened after, shocked both Archer and his master, who was seemingly forgotten in the background.

Kanshou and Bakuya _ **broke**_.

Tatsuya, still nurturing a neutral expression, immediately took the opportunity to deliver a deluge of punches, reinforced by Caster as indicate by the violet glow, at Archer's midsection, so rapidly that he had managed to land at least 30 hits before Archer hit the ground for the second time in the fight. The palms of Tatsuya's hands were bleeding, but they were quickly healed by some magic that Archer thought was eerily similar. 'Avalon?! It'd explain how he was able to summon Saber, but…. No. I don't get a divine feeling from him. Rather, I feel a demonic presence from him.' Archer deliberated. 

"What kind of master is able to defeat a heroic spirit?! This is madness!" Rin exclaimed, reaching towards her coat pocket for her jewels. "Ugh! Take a load of this!". She hurled several dark amethyst gems towards Tatsuya, who currently had his back towards her, in a desperate attempt to relieve the pressure on Archer. It was yet another futile attempt as Tatsuya simply held out his hand, and the gems _willed themselves_ out of existence, thanks to Tatsuya's _Mist Dispersion_.  
"I thought I told you to not to waste your life, girl."  
"Well, you're kind of trying to kill my servant, you see?!"  
"So?"  
"SO?! Is it not the point of the war to try to win?!"  
"Some fights you can't win, little lady. And besides, what do you value more? Your servant?" Tatsuya vanished, reappearing with his blade in hand, pointed at Rin's neck. "…. Or your own life?"  
"How did you-" Rin's eyes widened in surprise at his inhuman speed. "Keh. Archer! By the power of 2 Command seals! USE EVERYTHING IN YOUR ARSENAL!" The command seals on the back of her hand glowed before vanishing. That was all she got to say, before Tatsuya slammed the butt of his katana into her solar plexus, knocking her out cold.  
The damage was already done. When he turned around once more, he saw that Archer was back up, thought his was clothing was torn in several places, the majority of his rib bones were fractured, and he was rapidly losing blood. His body was glowing red from the use of the two command seals by his master. Several dozen magnificent looking weapons materialised behind Archer, all pointed at the Yotsuba scion. If he was dealing with anyone other than the scion, they would have been awestruck at the beauty of such blades he had willed into existence.  
"Trace Bullet. Continuous Fire! Let's see how you deal with this!" All the weapons quickly accumulated velocity and shot towards Tatsuya.

It was unfortunate event after unfortunate event after unfortunate event. Tatsuya, with his _Elemental Sight_ , was able to discern the nature of the magic he was faced with. He was known among his peers as one of the best mages in the country in countering other mages, and it was showcased when Tatsuya was able to decompose over half of the weapons within a blink on an eye using his _Gram Dispersion._ The weapons simply dropped to the ground dead with a loud clang, or shattered into millions of fragments before they were able to get close. The others, Tatsuya batted away with his mere fists or dodged out of the way. Medea also aided by using her own magic to counter the projectiles. Together, they were able to weather the storm, bringing it to a halt, rendering Rin's commands futile. It only further demonstrated how poorly Archer was outmatched from a magus' point of view, despite being a servant with supposedly inhuman abilities. 

Archer, having being mentally fatigued, didn't see Caster's _Αερο_ pierce straight through his stomachand was thrown like a ragdoll into the air. Out of nowhere, steel chains surrounded Archer, snaking around his arms, legs and neck, before lifting him into the air against his will, constricting any sort of movement. Archer knew that if he was a competent mage at all during his own lifetime, he would have been able to break out of this predicament rather easily. However, it was not to be. With his master incapacitated and almost out of mana, there was nothing substantial left that he could use to escape. Thus, he was left dangling in the air, at the mercy of Tatsuya and his servant Caster.  
"Tch. This wasn't supposed to happen…." Archer muttered to himself.

"You didn't put up much of a fight, mister Red." Medea frowned, hand clenched in command of the chains. "Sad really, because archers were supposed to have been the one thing I'd have good fun against" she chuckled. "You underestimated my master." She clenched her fist even tighter, and the chains tightened even further in response, to the point archer was suffocating, and the chains were audibly straining against the servant's body. " **And you dared to call me a witch!** "

Medea, now with her staff in her left hand, pointed at Archer's prone body. Several ripples in the space above Archer materialised, each ominously glowing purple. "Now you **die!** **Rain of Light** : **Machia Hecatia Graea!"**

"What… kind of…. monster is… rrrgghh…. your master?!" was the only thing Archer could manage to spit out.

Then came the bombardment of light, which the name suggest, upon the area were archer hovered upon. The ground trembled under the force of the bombardment, and Archer was skewered so many times by Caster beams that by the end, there was no trace of Archer left, besides a burning red rag, and a few splotches of dried blood on the ground.

Caster slowly hovered back towards the ground and towards Tatsuya. "Good job, Tatsuya-kun. That was an excellent display of magic!"  
Tatsuya smiled and nodded. "Let's go check on Saber." 

…

 **(A/N: Keep in mind that Tatsuya hasn't told Saber about Lancer being Cu)**

"You're a real tough cookie there, Saber. You can already keep up with my blows. But with that pesky caster's help, you're way TOO overpowered!" Lancer complained, parrying a downward blow from Saber and her invisible weapon. Before leaping backwards to generate distance between himself and Saber. "And are you a coward? You dare conceal your weapon in a duel?!"

"What's wrong, Lancer? No lancer with any mediocre amount of pride would stand still and allow the enemy to gain an advantage." Saber retorted from under her helmet. "If you won't take the offensive, then I gladly will!"

"Before that, let me ask you one single question. Your Noble Phantasm - is it a sword?"

"Who knows? It could be an axe. Or a spear or lance. It might even be a polearm. Why don't you come and find out, Lancer?"

"Very funny, Saber!" Lancer retorted, twirling his blood red spear as he change hand-grip, choosing to space his hands far apart, his right almost at the butt of the spear. Anyone could tell that was not a versatile stance. It wouldn't be able to block any weapon quickly enough. "Since this is our first meeting, would you be interested in calling this a draw?"

"I refuse. As a fellow servant of the knight classes, you should know why my master sent me."

"A duel to the end, huh? Only one will come out on top, am I right?"

"You **will** fall here, Lancer!"

"I see. That is a shame. I was only sent here to observe, but I couldn't help myself and I messed up" Lancer sighed, closing his eyes to take a sharp breath. When he opened them, his pupils contracted, his face contorted, veins visibly bulging with the feral grin he was displaying at the moment. His blood red spear coated itself in a flaming crimson aura, blanketing the surrounding area with the singular ominous feeling of death.  
Saber only raised her weapon higher in response.

"I'll have your HEART!" Lancer declared, before surging forward towards Saber, cratering the earth behind him. To any normal human being, all they would have seen was the trail of red from the spear. He leaped into the air, rearing the lance as far back as he could, before thrusting it at supersonic speeds.  
" **GAE… BOLG!"  
** The ominous feeling of death only multiplied when the spear seemingly fractured itself, splitting into dozens of blurring crimson lines like moving petrified lightning. Saber was only able to angle her weapon to defend from one side, so she chose the right side. The dozens of crimson lines reconverged back into one. It looked as if it was about to strike her weapon with immense force, but instead _curved_ itself back to the right and towards her torso, impaling the right side of her chest, armour, body and all.

"Gah!" was the only remark Saber was able to make before she was yanked into the air by the phantom spear left impaled in her chest, throwing her several metres up before she came crashing back down with a loud thud.  
Lancer surged forward, not giving a moment's rest in order to finish the job, but he was confronted by another figure and had to quickly backpedal once more.  
"This is as far as you go, Lancer. Or should I say…. Cu Chulainn, Ireland's Child of Light?" Medea stated, gently hovering in the space between Cu and Arturia.

"Keh. Saber was able to dodge my ultimate blow, a single-blow kill with my spear. How troublesome." Cu Chulainn replied. "It's supposed to be a fatal blow, otherwise I'd have royally screwed up. Which it looks like I did…" 

Meanwhile, Tatsuya was kneeled over, busy healing Saber, using his _Restoration_ ability. It took only a few seconds before the gaping hole left by Gae Bolg had sealed itself, and Saber awoke from her momentary blackout.  
"You alright, Saber?" Tatsuya questioned, a soft tone in his voice.

"Yes… thank you, master." Arturia returned. "Have you dealt with the other two already?"

Tatsuya nodded. "Are you still able to continue? If not, we can deal with the last one for you."

"For… me?"

"You wished to have a duel, did you not?"

Arturia smiled. "Yes. I will be able to continue. Thank you, master."

Tatsuya shook his head. "Call me Tatsuya. I am no master. You fight with me, not for me, got it?"

Saber nodded heartily. "Mmh"

"Sorry about this guys, but it seems my master is a bit of a coward, you see. You managed to evade my strongest blow, so he's ordering me home."

"You would run?!" Saber yelled, getting up from the ground and gripping her sword once more.

"Feel free to pursue me and track down my master! But if you do, prepare to die against an enemy of impossible proportions!" was all he said before he turned and leapt entirely over the backyard wall of some random home, vanishing into the moonless night.

"Looks like you'll have to finish that duel another day, huh?" Tatsuya sighed, strolling forward, placing his hand gently on Arturia's left shoulder.

Arturia removed her steel helm for the first time before shaking her head left and right, unfurling her creamy blonde hair. Two bangs rolled themselves down the front of her body, while the rest of her longer hair was braided and curled around the back of her head, held in place. A golden crown replaced her helmet, resting upon her head. But what was most striking were the emerald eyes and the glowing, seemingly divine white pupils she had.

"We'll deal with that later. For now, we'll rest. We've done well to eliminate Archer from the war. And I want to get to know the both of you." Arturia turned to face them as she spoke for the first time without her helmet, and Tatsuya could clearly hear the authority in her voice – as a leader, a king. "Do we have a place to rest, Tatsuya?"

Tatsuya nodded. "Yes. If you'd please, Medea." _'But what did that spearman mean by an enemy of impossible proportions?"_

Medea simply hovered over the top of them, draping both Tatsuya and Arturia under her cape. They then vanished, leaving a trail of purple butterflies where they were.

xxxx 

"So, you are a mage of some renown huh, Tatsuya?" Arturia confirmed. While inside the spacious apartment Tatsuya had been given, she had donned a midnight blue dress, with intricate silver details lining the end of her dress, contrasting her rather pale face and hair.

"Yes. I am a part of the Yotsuba clan – my mother is Maya Yotsuba, whom most if not everyone who is clued into the world of magic would know."

Maya Yotsuba was given the moniker 'Queen of the Night' as it was known that all who tried to go against her had never seen the light of day again. Many of the Yotsuba family members had their own monikers. For Tatsuya, although his name was not public known, his was "God of Destruction", after the events at both Okinawa and Yokohama, utterly annihilating naval warships and weapons with a single blow. Miyuki Shiba, Tatsuya's cousin (though he wouldn't dare say it in front of her, as she seems him as more of a brother) was given the nickname "Ice Princess" by her peers because of her signature magic: _Niflheim_ (although she also uses _Helheim_ as well).

Among the supernatural world however, they were a mystery. It was said that only the highest levels of authority in each of the three Biblical factions, and the Greek pantheon knew who the _Yotsubas_ , and the other Numbered clans were. The _Ichijou, Futatsugi, Mitsuya, Itsuwa, Mutsuzuka, Saegusa, Yatsushiro, Kudo and Juumonji_ clans all shared the same original history – a result of the unions between the first devil, the true Satan, and the first woman who fell from Eden, Lillith. They were not children born of their union, but creations made in their then shared distrust of the Christian God. Each child, given a proper first name but a numbered surname, were more powerful than their children and remade in the image of Lillith, rather than Satan - they were all born humans. All of them had dormant devil blood within them – they had the choice to become full-blooded devils, and most of the firsts did. Each of the children had been granted different powers 

This was such that they didn't feel like their birth was unfair – they could either follow in the footsteps of their human turned devil mother, or their angel turned devil father. It also granted them the advantage of being able to breed with other supernatural races, thanks to the flexibility that human blood granted them. As the centuries passed by, children sired between those created by the first devils, and in turn their descendants, grew in raw power as their powers mixed and matched. Soon enough, ten clans became twenty eight, and twenty eight clans became over a hundred by the end of the 20th century, almost 2000 years after their lineage first started. Within the last two hundred years, they had established a system of self-government within their collective called the Ten Master Clans, whereby the head of each clan would represent the rest of the clan and their interests. Of the hundred families, only twenty-eight had the potential to become one of the Ten Master Clans, be it power held within the family or contribution to the Japanese society – where they were now based in, soon after the Great War – each were given 5 years before their status was reviewed and a new set of Master Clans would be in place for 5 years. However, in the time that this government had existed, there was only ever one actual change in leadership as the _Ten Master Clans_ – which actually occurred last year. It was the Kudo clan whom was replaced by the _Shippou_ clan as the ninth seat of their government.

Further in, the three families who wielded the most power withing the _Ten Master Clans_ were the Saegusa, Juumonji and Yotsuba clans. The Juumonji clan were the weakest among the three, though of all hundred clans, were the strongest in defensive magics, the shields they created often being nigh impenetrable – this sole fact was the reason that they served as the _Numbered Families'_ (collective name of all the children and descendents of Satan and Lillith's creations) defense force.

The Saegusa clan were second only to the Yotsubas in overall power, infamous for their "omnipotency", having no clear weaknesses among the known systems and branches of both modern and ancient magic, as well as having the second largest family, only losing to the Ichijous.

Last of all were the Yotsubas. Even among the _Numbered Families_ , less was known of them than any other family in Japan. They only shared secrets with the Saegusa clan, whom they were closely tied to, but they knew not to betray their trust.

It is said that the Yotsuba clan has fewer members than any of the smallest clans of the _Hundred Families,_ yet heralded the strongest ever members know to the two millennia of their history. They managed three regions within Japan proper, only trumped by the Kudo clan whom had many times the Yotsuba clan in man power. However, even with the self-governing system the _Numbered Families_ had created, the Yotsuba Clan is gradually becoming too powerful, even among the powerful Ten Master Clans. With Miyuki, Tatsuya, and Maya existing in the same family all at the same time, it is believed that the Yotsuba clan may become an existence that will eclipse the Ten Master Clans. Their ever growing power and influence has caused other Ten Master Clans to be wary of their growth and status to the point that some of the other families are trying to weaken them by any means possible.

In terms of numbers, the Yotsuba Clan were plainly outnumbered by the Saegusa and Ichijou Clans. Yet, their combat prowess was simply incomparable. In one on one confrontations, the Yotsuba would have the advantage. Despite their limited numbers, they were more than capable of becoming the counter-terrorism trump card of the government and carry out any action that went beyond the reach of the law that the government needed. In terms of black ops and assassinations, none among the _Numbered Families_ could match the Yotsuba Clan.

In comparison to normal humans, the Yotsubas were impossible existences that transcended the definition of human. One almost to compare them to the likes of stronger Heroic Spirits without fail.

"I've got records of most of my ancestors and skimmed through their achievements and the like, but I never found out who my grandmother was. I tried asking my mother who she was… but she would only smile and say: "You'll find out soon enough."

xxxxxx

After the three had taken sufficient rest, they had decided to take a wander around the city, in order to figure out what places would have suited them best. There was a temple on the outskirts of a city that was conveniently (and suspiciously) directly over a leyline according to Medea, a red bridge that served as a great vantage point to the rest of the city, and a quiet park that oozed with the smell of death, by Arturia's words.

"I have… few memories. Of the last 10 years. You see… I was never summoned at the heroic spirit. It was when I was lying down, half-dead with an innumerable amount of soldiers laying around me, that I made a wish. A wish that someone could have undone my rule as King, taken my place and guided Britain to a better future. Then, I was summoned."

"To the previous Fuyuki Holy Grail War?" Medea interjected.

Arturia gritted her teeth. "Yes. I cannot remember much of the time I spent in this era, but there were a few things I did. Like a gruffly, masculine voice that told me of how wishing to undo my rule would insult all those people - my knights, my subjects that died in my name. I also remember that one servant… he had blonde hair and was impossibly strong, with a… personality to match it, so to speak. And my master. I do not remember his face, but I do remember hating him with a burning passion."

Arturia took a deep breath to calm herself. The three stood in silence and the two magii stood there waiting for her to continue.

"After the end of the grail war, which I cannot recall, I was sent back to my own time. There, I roamed the lands. Because I hold both Rhongomyniad and Excalibur, I could not fully die. I was at the crossroads between life and death. I did not have Avalon – I had lost it when I fought my son Mordred at Camlann thanks to her mother, and my sister – Morgan."

It was a testament to Arturia's sister Morgan's knowledge of the world. By using the invading Picts and Saxons to invade Britain, they had scared most of the smaller supernatural creatures, including the Fae, from the mortal plane. With no Fae around, Morgan was able to magically extract Avalon the exact same time that Mordred had impaled her with Clarent. As such, Arturia had ended up losing Avalon – until now. It was the reason why Arturia had aged and developed much further than she did at the time of the previous Fuyuki Grail War

"Then you summoned me, Master. With your help, I was able to regain Avalon." Arturia bowed. Again, thank you for that, mast- I mean Tatsuya."

"I helped too, you know?" Medea pouted.

"You get the idea of it, Medea" Tatsuya rolled his eyes.

"Shut up."

Arturia had a small giggle at their playful banter. Tatsuya looked back at Arturia after their small bout.

"To have been summoned again, you must have had a new wish. What is it?"

There was a long silence, only interrupted by the chirping of the birds hanging around on the trees nearby. Arturia looked to the setting sun, perhaps in longing.

"…. To live life without regrets. Perhaps I could have wished once more to have another chance at living as king, but… these ten years have given me much time to think. I've never really…. Been myself before. Even when I was young, I was always practicing with a sword, listening to Sir Ector's words, or sparring with my brother Kay. I never really took a moment to live like the girl I always wanted to be. By the time I was old enough to go out alone, I was already holding the Sword in the Stone, Caliburn. I never had time to myself. Maybe I don't need the Holy Grail to achieve such a thing… but a woman can dream, can she not?"

All in all, it was a casual affair.

 _Until they ran into a miraculously vertically challenged, white haired girl in a fur hat that reminded one of an ushanka without the bangs, and a matching grape coloured fur coat that looked (and probably was) pricey._

They were walking down a dimly lit avenue that was out of the way, when they came across her. Arturia and Medea were both in spirit form for convenience. The approaching girl looked to be waiting for someone, before she stopped and frowned.

"You're not my brother…"

Tatsuya shrugged. "That would seem to be the case"

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. What does he look like?"

Medea spoke through their contract 'Tatsuya, I feel abnormal energy coming from her. She's definitely a mage, possibly a master!'

Arturia added 'If she is a master, then she is concealing her servant well.'

"He's a bit shorter than you, has red hair an-"

"His last name is Emiya?" **(A/N: Tatsuya knows by going through his memories)**

Illya huffed, before putting on the most intimidating face she could – an ominous smile "So you do know what happened to my brother. I will ask again, mister. Where. Is. He?"

"Didn't your parents tell you that listening to strangers was an extremely bad idea?"

It seemed to have hit a nerve, evident in the next words she spoke.

"Berserker! Attack!"

"Ah… crap."

Then there was a primal roar.

 **If you think Archer died too quickly, then lemme explain to you that Emiya is weak against Casters, and other mages in general. Medea alone is strong enough to take him on. Add Tatsuya and his hand-to-hand combat prowess, and Emiya is totally screwed. One can bombard him from afar, the other can take him on in melee combat. So unfortunately, he was always going to be the first to die.**


End file.
